Science research

Absolute precision is needed in a scientific research environment. Temperatures, timings, and weights and measures of every sort must be followed accurately and methodically, ever-vigilant meticulous care must be taken to obtain repeatable results, and to experiment with confidence. As far as weight measurement goes, the only choice for this absolute perfection in measuring would be the symmetry balance scales.

Analytical balances must have functionality as well as accuracy. Accuracy is the most vital part of the scientific balance scales purpose, as even the smallest amount of error can lead an experiment to disaster. When weighing dry measures, such as powders, the accuracy of the scale must be so complete that even a dispersion of the powder settling on the scale platform should register on the display.

This sensitivity leads us to consider what may interfere with such a precision instrument as a symmetry balance scale. Does temperature affect the weight measurements? Is a drafty laboratory a significant problem when using the balances? Will moisture in the air cause problems while weighing? These simple questions must be asked when deciding on a new scientific balance scale for your laboratory.

An excellent balance will have a zeroing capability that only takes less than five seconds, and a readout time of the same amount of time. This may be necessary for efficiency in the laboratory, as data may need cataloguing constantly. To make this easier for the laboratory personnel, a printer port attached to the balance may be used, and good scientific scales should have this function built in. An excellent weighing system may have laboratory information systems integration, so that weights can be linked to the laboratories computer system for absolute quality control.

The digital age has arrived for scientific balances, as the digital readouts of these new systems are usually liquid-crystal displays backlit for easy reading. Digital filters allow for vibration, temperature, and draft while measuring out the items, all for flawless weight measurement of nearly anything needing weighing. A good balance will have shielding on three sides of the scale to stabilize the air before placing the items on the weighing platform.

Other characteristics of an excellent weighing system, especially in these balances, would be fast stabilization prior to weighing. Stabilization times should be short after switching the unit on, so wait times are reduced. After stabilization, there should be an easy tare zeroing function, especially when using a container other than what came with the unit. Tare zeroing is vital to getting exact measurements of any material, and should be reproducible each time the container is used.

Item counting can be highly beneficial to the laboratory personnel when weighing out pellets of materials, or small items needing stocking that otherwise would need to be counted by hand. An accurate balance scale can provide a counting function, by weight of the individual item being counted in quantity. This should be easy to obtain, as an individual item is first weighed, then tared for counting. This should be done in seconds, and as more of the same item is added to the symmetry balance, the count will be accurate to within only one to two items.

Balances for scientific and pharmaceutical use are entering the digital age, and are beneficial for any scientific process or methodologies.

By: Andrew K Long

No doubt about it, during the past three decades the one athletic attribute that has most clearly transcended the majority of sports and most clearly impacted sports performance has been explosive power – namely speed, agility, quickness and jumping ability. Yet, for so many athletes explosive speed, agility, quickness and jumping ability continues to be a key athletic attribute that remains just beyond their reach. The ‘traditional’ view is that an athlete who does not possess great natural speed, agility and quickness can never become a great athlete.

This is simply not true! With the right training, an athlete who was not ‘born quick’ can certainly become quick, and an athlete who was not gifted with tremendous jumping ability can certainly make significant improvements to their jumping ability. In a similar way, an athlete who already possesses good athletic ability can certainly make great improvements and reach that proverbial ‘next level.’ While it is true that our genetic makeup is largely responsible for our muscle fiber type composition (a major contributor to explosive power), the latest sports science research conclusively proves that almost all athletes can make significant speed, agility, quickness and vertical leap improvements! The key to these improvements is the right kind of training.

Two of the main goals of any explosive speed, agility, quickness, and vertical leap training program should be to rapidly improve sports performance and reduce the risk of injury. Unfortunately, many of the older more traditional training programs have not accomplished these goals. In fact, many athletes using these programs fail to see the improvement they wanted, and actually increase their risk of injury. Let me explain.

All movement can be broken down into three plains of motion or directions – forwards and backwards (the Sagital Plane), side to side (the Frontal Plane), and rotational movement (the Transverse Plane) and three muscle actions – acceleration (concentric), stabilization (isometric), and deceleration (eccentric). Most sports require the ability to explosively move in all three directions and to explosively accelerate, decelerate, functionally stabilize, and explosively accelerate again. Yet, older ineffective forms of training traditionally have emphasized just one plain of motion (which is the sagital plain – for example: sprints, squats, lunges, leg presses, and leg curls) and one muscle action – primarily acceleration.

But functional movement and competitive sports is just not like this, and this is why close to 80% of all sports injuries occur without any contact with opponents and usually when an athlete decelerates and rotates (such as during a change in direction). Athletes must train in all three plains of motion and with all muscle actions (acceleration, deceleration, stabilization), to create a much safer and much more effective program. In addition, workouts should be both age specific AND sport specific.

This is very important. A nine-year-old football player should not be using the same program as a fourteen-year-old basketball player or a nineteen-year-old hockey player. Construct a needs analysis of the sport. What are the dominant planes of motion and muscle actions used by the sport and position of the athlete? What are the energy/endurance demands? What are the rest ratio’s? What level of intensity is demanded in each phase of the game and for each position? A program should be built around these components. Finally, the use of effective goal setting, training logs and charts to measure and monitor progress and improvements is an additional, often ignored, component that is very important to overall motivation levels and thus also important to the overall success of any explosive speed, agility and quickness program.

By: Spencer Wood

Most of us are unaware of the spiritual factors that are the root cause of 80% of the difficulties in life for the simple reason that they are beyond the understanding of our five senses, mind and intellect. Whether a particular difficulty has a spiritual root cause along with its details can be known for sure only through the medium of a highly activated sixth sense. Ignorance about the existence of the spiritual dimension and knowing its role in our difficulties will frustrate attempts to fully overcome the difficulties. In this article, we explain the role of the spiritual realm in difficulties in our lives.


The root causes of problems in life
In order to overcome a difficulty completely, we need to first correctly understand its root cause. Only when the correct and complete diagnosis has been made, by going to the root of the difficulty, can the appropriate remedy be given.

Modern sciences attribute the cause of a problem to being either physical or psychological. Hence we go looking for the cause and remedy only in these two areas.

For example: Itching is understood as having a physical cause and is treated accordingly with physical medicines. Narcotic abuse is understood as a psychological problem and is treated primarily with psychotherapy. But there is a third cause of our difficulties in life and that is Spiritual. Spiritual root causes of difficulties in fact affect our lives to a large extent. But spiritual causes are not as easily understood, as they are beyond the understanding of the modern sciences. In fact, the World Health Organisation (WHO) defines health as ‘a state of positive health in the physical, mental, social and spiritual dimensions.’ Thus officially it has been ascertained that spiritual well being is also a component that contributes to our health. However spiritual research conducted by SSRF reveals the actual extent to which spiritual factors contribute to our total well being. Through spiritual research, Spiritual Science Research Foundation (SSRF) has ascertained the breakdown, on average, between the 3 root causes being responsible for problems in our lives. Breakdown of the root cause of difficulties in life 20% Psychological and/or physical 30% Spiritual, Psychological and/or physical 50% Purely spiritual in nature Hence, up to 80% of our problems have their root cause in the spiritual realm. How to overcome these problems? These type of problems can only be overcome by spiritual means i.e. either through: Spiritual practice http://spiritualresearchfoundation.org/aboutspiritualresearch/spiritualpracticefordevelopingsixthsense.php according to the 5 basic principles of spiritual practice helps to build our overall spiritual energy to combat or be insulated from these problems Specific spiritual healing remedy performed to overcome a specific symptom caused by some factor in the spiritual realm

In this way, problems that have their root cause in the spiritual realm can either be resolved or we get the strength to endure them.


By: Sean M. Clarke